Safe Zone
by F1-30 Neptune
Summary: With each passing day, with each one of 'them' that they kill, Takashi and Saeko get closer and closer. But can a burgeoning romance bloom in the midst of an apocalypse? A story that chronicles the group's journey towards sanctuary and the trials they face. (Takashi X Saeko) Will change to M in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**SAFE ZONE**

Chapter 1: Leader

 _To anyone who is hearing this, my name is Souichiro Takagi and I offer you refuge in a safe haven in an isolated and heavily guarded community under my watch. Air-lifts will be given to those who contact this frequency directly. To those who are willing to go by foot, you are very welcome to travel to Honshu where my staff and supporters along with the remaining Uyoku dantai will take care of you. My friends, it has been 2 years since the catastrophe occurred, and we shall not wait in the shadows any longer. The human race will survive. We will rebuild our nation. We will rebuild humanity._

Takashi sat by the window sill of the small apartment complex his group had holed up in to pass the night. Sleep never came to him. It had been like that ever since the end began. He watched Them from afar as they shambled along the streets. To think that those creatures were once human beings who had a conscience.

He made sure that none of those undead bastards lay a hand on his new family. He was the core of the group and without him; they wouldn't have survived for this long. He gave Saeko a reason to live, he provided Rei with the comfort that no one else could bring, he was the contrasting force to Saya's abrasiveness, Kohta and the rest look out to him with respect and dignity that he felt he didn't deserve.

He _was_ their leader.

And with that comes along the heavy burden of keeping them alive. How long could they keep running? Was there no end to this? Were they not allowed to live a normal life?

He looked over to them as they slept. Saya, Rei, Shizuka and Alice huddled together in a futon as they slept. Zeke and Kohta slept near the door and Saeko was propped up on the couch. It looked so peaceful. He wanted to see them like that more.

He was not going to run. Not anymore. As if all his prayers were answered, safe refuge was offered to them in the time they needed it the most. It was the third time that night that he listened to the announcement. He already contacted them and set up a rendezvous point. By tomorrow morning, they would fly out to the refuge.

He clenched his fist and took in deep breaths. He went over to his automatic shotgun and made sure it was loaded, he checked all of the other weapons the same. He wanted to make sure that they all had adequate ammunition for tomorrow. They were going to need it, so he loaded every magazine in their weapons so they had full clips each.

He went back to his original position in the window sill and continued to stare outside.

"Takashi?"

A familiar voice came from behind him. He turned his head and smiled a somber one.

"Saeko, you should go back to sleep."

She stifled a yawn, then smiled "I think I've slept enough." she went over to his spot and sat down across him "Mind if I join you?"

"No. I could use the company." He gave her smile and she smiled in return. They grew closer and closer as time passed, and even though attraction and the affection were clearly obvious, they never decided to make their moves, aside from a number of intimate moments between them. He was fine like that; and not so much on her side. She kept it in for the sake of the group. If they started a relationship now, Rei would lose it. They cannot afford to compromise the safety of the group. They needed one another. Conflict is the last thing they wanted.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

He spaced a moment before answering her back "You."

Her cheeks turned pink at his statement. But then he continued "and everyone else." She muttered an 'oh' before sheepishly smiling.

It made him chuckle. She was really cute, he thought. If it wasn't for the catastrophe, he would never have been acquainted with her, which wasn't really a bad thing.

"What?' she asked, embarrassed.

"Nothing." He replied "You just look really cute."

The two shared a small laugh while Saeko continued to blush profusely. The laughter died down and they sat there in silence for a while.

"Saeko"

"Yeah?"

He continued to stare outside with a somber look on his face. "I promise you." She nodded and motioned for him to go on. "I'll get you guys to safety." He looked back to her " _No matter what it takes._ " The tone of his voice carried of absolution and resolve to it.

She was at a loss for words due to the sudden shift in atmosphere.

He looked over to Alice. "She's getting older each day. I want her to have a normal life, a normal childhood." He gulped and looked over to Kohta "Kohta's becoming more and more unstable after what happened to Asami 2 years ago." His eyes then trailed to Saya "Saya's intellect would be better suited to help build a nation rather than trying to survive in it and so is Shizuka's." and then finally "Rei deserves to be happy. But after what happened to her mother, I doubt that."

"We all deserve to be happy." he continued "Would you want to keep fighting forever, Saeko?" He looked over to her and he clenched his teeth "Even if you did."

He shut his eyes tightly "I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to you."

Her eyes widened in concern at the confession and a luminescent blush radiated from her face.

From that point on tears were sliding down his cheeks "I'm the leader of this group. But I am also human. In time like these, am I allowed to show weakness, even if for a little bit?"

She didn't know if she would be happy the thought or not. The fact that he was confiding to her and allowing her to see him in a weakened state meant that he was comfortable enough to be with her.

He wiped away the tears and revealed the resolve in his eyes "You guys are my family, now."

Takashi looked back to her and his expression softened "Is there anything you won't do for family?"

Seeing the pained expression on his face was enough for her. She grabbed his hand, as if on autopilot and leaned in closer. She didn't say anything, all the concern and love for him was already visible in her gaze. He was surprised at the sudden show of emotion from Saeko Busujima, so he offered her a smile and squeezed her hand.

 _Just like in the temple back then._

He moved in closer until their faces were only inches apart. Saeko wrapped her arms around him and buried her head to his chest. Takashi pulled her close, savoring in the warmth that she gave off. She gripped his back with the intent of not letting him go.

"Nothing's going to happen to me Takashi. Not when you're here." The woman looked up to face him. Damn, she was beautiful. The moonlight emphasized that even more. "You took responsibility right?"

It was a promise to her that did not intend on breaking. Even if the meaning behind it was out of necessity.

He gently kissed her forehead and he smiled afterwards.

"Yeah. I guess, I did."

She couldn't keep it in any longer and so she went in for the kiss. It was a soft and chaste kiss, no force behind, it was a kiss that told so many things yet left so many out at the same time. It was a kiss that had so much trust in it. He closed his eyes his and pulled her even closer.

After a moment or so, he gently broke off the kiss. Saeko, in a daze tried to pull him closer to kiss him again

"Takashi…" she moaned, her voice filled with longing and lust.

He gently held her by her shoulders "Not here Saeko. Not now." He motioned his head to the side and pointed to the others. He couldn't afford to let one of them see the development, especially not Rei. After her mother's death the only thing Rei had to live for was Takashi.

She lowered her head and apologized meekly. It was unlike her to act this cute. He softly chuckled and pulled her into an embrace. "Thank you, Saeko." He was getting fuzzy all over.

"You're welcome, Takashi." She smiled warmly. "Want to go sleep?" she asked

"I thought you had enough sleep?" he jokingly asked.

"I think it would do me good for a few more hours." Her voice sounded slightly muffled as she snuggled even tighter to his embrace. Clingy Saeko was a hard to thing to come by these days. So they broke off the embrace and headed for the sofa.

A few minutes in, Saeko did fall asleep and on his lap. He hoped that she wouldn't drool on it again. He smiled at the thought while stroking her long hair.

Sleep was the last thing on his mind. No matter how much he tried, even with Saeko by his side, sleep did not come to Takashi Komuro that night.

To be continued…

* * *

So...yeah. I was kinda late to the party. I only managed to watch the anime a few days ago. Damn, I ship these two so much. Anyways It's been three years since I wrote a fan fic again. Because you know... college. And training. lots and lots of bboy training. I finally passed my thesis though. Hooray for me. lol


	2. Chapter 2

**SAFE ZONE  
** Chapter 2: Country Side

Rewind back to a year ago when the group found temporary relief in the form of a Minka, or a Japanese farmhouse, somewhere in the Gifu prefecture. Months of traveling finally led them to this cozy escape. They couldn't stay in one spot for long, but as they stepped foot inside the house, they figured they could stop by that place for a while and recuperate. After surveying the area for any of the undead walking around, their minds were put at ease as they found none. It was a nice farm house, very old looking yet stylish and comfy at the same time. A one in a million catch. But still, they would've had to fortify the place just in case.

Alice ventured off into the kitchen along with Shizuka and Saya to look for anything to cook. They checked the cupboards and collected a few canned goods, such as soft drinks, canned meats. All was good... they could live off of canned shit for a while. But it was not enough. Takagi went to the stove and checked to see if there was gas. And with a 'flick!' it turned on. Boom, jackpot. Okay, only thing they needed now was a fridge.

Rei, her mother, and Saeko checked out the bedrooms at the top floor. She slid open the doors and found a most elegantly designed room. It didn't need lamps or other lighting, lots of natural light entered the room and it made the shoji glow. The room didn't have a futon, but instead had a bed big enough for two people.

 _Two people..._ Rei and Saeko blushed heavily. All the dirty thoughts coursed through their brains. No doubt Takashi was involved in one of those fantasies. The blush didn't go unnoticed by Rei's mother though and she just muttered "Teenagers" out of ear-shot.

Kohta looked around the back of the house and found a small utility shed. He smashed the padlock with the but of his rifle and removed the chain. Smoke escaped from the unlocked door. He flicked open the newly acquired flashlight attachment on his AR-10 and found the most valuable thing that they could find in the apocalypse: gas and a generator.

As the group settled down and explored the house, Takashi strayed-off to find a weapon and ended up in the living room. Since the baseball bat he was carrying along started to deteriorate due to all the head-bashing. He was at his wits end to find an alternative melee weapon. A Golf club? No...maybe? A Machete? Too messy. Chainsaw? Too loud, too heavy. Naginata? Too long (where would he find one?). He needed something light and wooden yet durable enough to be used as a temporary alternative once he finds a bat again. His eyes trailed off to two bokkens on a display stand perched on top of a shelf alongside a picture of an old couple.

Like any normal human being, he allowed his mind to drift off to random thoughts. His eyes studied the photograph. He figured it was too late for him now. The world he lived in couldn't afford marriages and settling down. But seeing the picture made him hope that one day, he too could be side by side with the woman he loved. Then his eyes traveled towards the wooden swords again. He shook his head and cast aside those thoughts in favor of something that mattered more.

He calculated the odds. Lights? Yes. Durable. Yes? He saw it in action when Saeko used it and held on for quite a while before she switched to a real one.

Takashi thought that using a wooden sword for savagely bashing-in skulls of the undead was inappropriate, especially if it was designed for the practice of a more elegant sword style. He must become stronger to kill one of Them in a single strike to the head. In truth he could've done that with a baseball (as it was his favorite weapon), but often times the weight of the weapon factored in importantly. A baseball bat is practical stuff, but needs a wide swing in order to do enough damage; and the wider the swing, the faster he's going to lose stamina.

But... the damage of the bokken was very different from the baseball due to the length which could've put in a lot of distance when crushing skulls. It also had the right weight and it was solid enough, plus it had the added advantage of having a pointed end.

That, and using it in front of the highly skilled Saeko must have been pretty intimidating. It was a thought that made him cringe. Saeko was the warrior type of woman- proud and honorable. The thought of seeing her react to the misuse of a weapon under the hands of newbie was a thing the he didn't want to become a reality.

"Saeko..." her name easily rolled off his tongue. It annoyed him the she managed to squeeze in every time he allowed himself to think.

Wait...when did he become so self-conscious towards her? Was it because she was an expert at her craft? Yes. Was it because she was a beautiful, charming, kind, and confident woman who shows an obvious attraction to him? YES. Was it because he was starting to... love her?

"Yes, Takashi?" a female voice came from behind him.

The young man was cut away from his thoughts and he quickly turned around only to come face to face literally with the woman on his mind. They were like inches away from a kiss. She was surprised due to the sudden closing of the gap between that promptly pushed herself back and tried regain whatever composure she had.

Heat was emanating from the blushes on their cheeks as they waited for someone to break the ice.

"S-s-sorry, Saeko..." he gulped and diverted his eyes. "You were like a n-ninja, you know?"

She stifled an awkward laugh "Y-yeah... I was actually p-planning on sneaking up on you."

 _What!_ she was mentally cursing herself.

Takashi gave her a confused look and turned red even more.

She pouted and acted very unlike herself "B-but then I heard you say my name! So I figured that you already knew I was there..."

His lips formed a smile and then it was his turn to release an awkward laugh and smiled a genuine one that melted her heart like ice cream.

 _Damn! She's really cute..._

 _"_ Well anyways... Since you were on my mind recently... I wanted to ask you something..." Takashi continued.

Then he realized how he worded out his sentence. _Oh shit! oh shit!_

As if there wasn't enough red in the world, Saeko blushed even further. Her eyes were at their widest and she eagerly motioned for him to go on. _Is he confessing? Oh god, is he confessing?! I can't handle this! I'm gonna die!_

He cleared his throat and took in a deep breath "Would it be okay if you..."

He swore his heart was going to burst out of his rib cage any moment now. "Teach me Kendo?"

 _What._

The hopeful look in her eyes turned into a mix of embarrassment and confusion.

"I-I mean it's okay if you don't want to! I just figured that s-since my bat is starting to break, I should, y-you know change a melee weapon! ha-ha-ha!"

This was getting awkward by the minute "Okaaay... But why do you need to learn Kendo?" Saeko asked him. "It's the apocalypse. You don't need any technicalities here." It's not that she didn't _want_ to. She was just digging in further to bring out any hidden motives from him. She hoped there was.

Komuro looked over to the bokken and then back to Saeko. The realization dawned on her and she just mouthed an "ooh"

"You're incredible, Saeko. One of the greatest fighters I ever met. It's just that I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of you, should I use a bokken." He figured that it was time to let the cat out of the bag. No use hiding anything now.

 _He's being so thoughtful..._ Her heart fluttered and her hands automatically reached out to cup his and was rather surprised that there wasn't any resistance from his part "I understand, Takashi." She smiled at him warmly and he returned it.

"Thank you..." at least he had a reason to be with her more without making it so obvious to her.

Saeko felt the soft pressure of him squeezing her hands _'Damn it! Why is he doing this! Stahp!"_ With all the raging hormones flying around the room, it kicked her a bit into overdrive. She slowly leaned in and closed her eyes.

With a soft peck on his cheek she pulled away quickly and looked him in the eyes longingly "You're welcome." She turned around with and walked away, emphasizing the sway of her hips "We'll start tomorrow morning." She walked out of the room after flashing him a gentle-yet-seductive smile.

This was going to be fun. He spaced out for a while before realizing that he needed a cold shower.

 _to be continued..._

* * *

I had fun writing this chapter. The Takashi X Saeko feels is still running fresh in my mind. thanks for reading/subscribing/reviewing! I'm very rusty with writing stories like these so please bear with me! I'll try to improve a lot more!


	3. Chapter 3

**SAFE ZONE**

Chapter 3: Jealousy and Compromise

Rei heard everything. Saw everything. The moment Saeko's lips touched Takashi's cheek, something snapped inside her. She was already at the far end of her jealousy with Saeko. But seeing them both together... well, the green eyed monster made its magic work. She fought off the tears forming around her eyes and gripped her rifle tighter and tighter. She slid down the shoji in a fit of despair. A part of her wants to shoot them both and a part of her just wants to walk away and pretend she didn't see anything. Miyamoto's eyes were glazed over and she was sporting a manic grin with the former taking over. It was decided that if she couldn't have Takashi, no one could.

She regretted ever following Saeko into that room. She aimed her rifle at the two of them while she was positioned at the lower corner of the door with one knee on the ground. Her heart rate increased, her palms were sweaty and her hands were shaking. ' _Saeko... You bitch!'_ Rei erupted in psychotic giggling as she looked through the scope. She pushed the thought deeper into her head and fueled her anger willingly. She recalled the moments that unfolded between him and Saeko while she kept silent and secretly watched from the sidelines; how they looked at each other, how he relied on her always, how she was always by his side. ' _Do you think I am a fucking idiot!?'_ Miyamoto decided that she didn't want to stay silent anymore. ' _Sayonara!'_

 _Don't do it..._

Her finger was already putting some pressure on the trigger. But it fired something else. Memories flashed by her. Takashi's warmth as he held her close... Tears she shed for him as she though he died... Their fingers intertwined as they laughed it out... A kiss they shared in the midst of the undead... And the promise she made that she will love him no matter what; even if he chose to love someone else.

 _Don't do it!_

Through the scope she saw the Saeko and Takashi... And he was smiling the happiest one she ever saw of him. Then it hit her like a shit-ton of bricks. She crossed the line the moment she aimed the gun at the two. She just wanted happiness with him. But ever since she came along, everything changed. Takashi was getting farther and farther away from her and into Saeko's arms. But for her to commit murder? With a frustrated and tearful sigh, she let go of the trigger and hung her head low. ' _He's already happy...'_ her heart broke to pieces ' _without me..'_ It was hard for her to accept that the man in her life could be taken away from her any moment. But it was even harder having to see it happen in front of her eyes.

The tears she held in burst out at the realization of how far she was willing to go. "What am I doing?" She asked herself in a bitter and defeated tone. Rei lowered the gun and was about to pull back until...

Click!

The barrel of a Five-Seven pistol was pressed at the back of her head. She slowly turned her head around to see who the owner was.

"If you plan on taking out our leader for whatever bullshit reason you're going to give me, I won't hesitate to put a bullet through your skull." Kohta whispered with venom lacing every word. It earned him a manic death glare from Rei. Who the hell was he to interfere? She always respected his skill as an expert marksman and gun expert, but never beyond that. Besides being a valuable asset to the group, he was just a fat, nerdy piece of shit who needed to know his place, at least, that was what Rei thought at the moment.

"Don't worry Hirano, I'm not going to do anything." she stood up and faced Kohta, with the gun aimed directly at her face "What the hell are you doing here anyways?" her words started to fill up with malice.

"I came to give a sit-rep to Takashi-san." He pushed back the hammer of the pistol and lowered it. Kohta grabbed her by the arm with a grip that could crush it "Come here!" and dragged her out to the yard since the Minka had easy access to it "And what the hell are you doing, huh?" They made sure to that their voices were still in an angry, whispering mode as to not draw attention from the burgeoning romance inside. Hirano was shooting daggers at Rei, and if looks could kill, she would've certainly been unceremoniously glared to death.

She ripped her arm away from his grasp as if it was the most disgusting to ever touch her "Stay out of this!"

"Are you fucking insane?! You would compromise the safety of the group just because of a fucking fit of jealousy?" Kohta had deeper respect to Takashi than he let out. It was a respect born from the numerous advice he gave, all the talks and reassurance when Takashi himself was unsure of his own capabilities. The leader would always go to him for sit-reps and group status reports; and seeking invaluable plans that got the group to safety due to his militaristic knowledge. Takashi made sure that everyone felt needed and useful, and it clearly showed through Kohta that their leader made an impact.

"You don't know anything!" she spat back.

"It's not a secret that you love him, Rei! But to go that far?" Hirano's voice held an indignation to it as he brutalized Rei with words "I did what you were about to do a moment ago." Brief flashes Asami ran through his mind and his furious visage softened as he continued speaking "I killed her. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. It's those compromises that you'll lose sleep on at night. But this? I am **insulted** that you could aim the barrel of a gun to the person you love." With each word painfully embedding themselves into Rei's conscience, she was finally feeling the shock. Her eyes widened and she bit her lower lip. "Look at him!" Though their position wouldn't exactly provide them with a view of Takashi "You saw how happy he is. So why can't you just let him be?"

SLAP!

A palm struck Kohta's cheek hard. Rei was furious now. She wasn't going to take shit from Hirano anymore. She knew Takashi loved her and will never go for Saeko. Her sureness would be her downfall. It was the end of the world, anything can happen. One day you're sitting in a park having a picnic, the next day you're killing each other. If there was one thing that survivors of the end learned about, change is inevitable.

"Because I love him! I can't stand the sight of someone else having him!" she was going hysterical, her voice trembled and tears streamed down her face as she tried to control her anger.

Kohta stayed silent for a while to listen to her "So you're just gonna go and murder the hypotenuse, huh?" he looked back at her, with a disgusted expression plastered on his face while blood dripped down the side of his lips. "I won't report what happened today. But you better get your shit together, Rei. Before I do it myself." he wiped away the red streak and walked away callously "Be seeing you."

Rei was alone to ponder her thoughts. It's as if her whole world was crumbling down right in front of her. Humans are monsters deep down, it only took the end of the world for them to show it. Rei wasn't excused from that. They all weren't excused. Savagery ran deep in their DNA ; The undead were former human's that died and degraded into their default forms: savages without remorse, without conscience. The moment that everything ended, everyone died a little inside.

As Saya said " _One of the main reasons why humans kill each other is because of love or sex."_

 _~Heartache- One OK Rock~_

Her feet carried her along. She didn't think of anything else. With each step, she felt she was sinking to the ground. Her usually lively eyes were dull and lifeless.

Takashi held the bokken tight in his hands and swung it a few times with a cheeky grin on his face. He was really getting excited about training with Saeko, but the mood shifted once Rei entered his mind. What would she say? How would she react?

He turned his head at the sound of footsteps. Speak of the devil. Dragging her rifle across the floor, Rei went in the living room with a distraught and withdrawn look on her features.

"Rei, are you alright?" concern riddled his voice. Then he noticed that she was crying. She continued to slowly walk towards him as if his words went past her.

"Rei-" his words were cut short. Rei wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his chest. Takashi could feel his shirt soaking up her tears. Her fingers dug on his back and she squeezed him oh so tightly. She was uncontrollably sobbing by then. It wasn't fair. It was the perfect moment to be close to him again. They could have fixed their relationship, but no! **_She_** just had to enter the fray at the wrong moment. If they were given enough time, she would've sealed the deal and made Takashi hers.

Komuro somehow felt her pain, and then guilt wrapped around him. ' _Did she saw us?'_ His arms instinctively moved up to her waist and return the embrace.

"Takashi..." Rei looked up to him with a pleading look "Do you love me?"

He was hesitant to answer the question. Sure he loved her...wait...did he really? He wasn't sure anymore. The feelings he had for Saeko were growing day by day and Rei was starting to turn into a responsibility for him. But the moment she wrapped her arms around him, the moment she was near to him like that- the future he saw with Saeko became cloudy. He inhaled her scent and and savored the heat of their pressed bodies. He thought he already escaped her, but she managed to wrap him around her finger once more. He wanted to be with Saeko, but every time...every damn time Rei would intervene and it would make it harder and harder for him to move on. ' _Please don't do this to me, Rei...'_

She saw the conflict in his eyes. Rei gently cupped his cheeks and pulled him into a soft kiss. He resisted at first but slowly eased in. She decided that whatever his feelings were after the kiss, she would honor it, even if it meant that she could lose him forever.

* * *

Chapter 3.5: Desperate Escape

Shintoko Third Elementary School

Evacuation was taking place in the rooftop of the elementary school where air-lifts were being commenced. Unfortunately, the rotors of the helicopters attracted a lot of attention from the undead. They shambled towards the sound, broke into the barricades and proceeded to massacre the refugees inside. Takashi and the gang stuck together in the hallway and moved forward, fending them off with him and Saeko taking the front, Kohta and Rei guarded the rear, Shizuka and Alice in the center along with Saya and Rei's mother. Kiriko affectionately covers Alice's eyes to spare her from the sight of all the half-eaten corpses on the floor.

"Saeko! Behind you!" Takashi yelled with concern.

One of them managed to quickly sneak past behind her as she held back three more dead-heads. She couldn't launch a counter attack. If she did, she would've been bitten either way. It came in quick and in a position that would've been impossible to avoid getting bit.

"Shit!" Takashi bolted towards the undead fucker and shoved the barrel of his shotgun down its mouth. He couldn't afford to hit Saeko with the 12 gauge's spread, so hitting her with blood had to do. He pushed the zombie back, barrel in mouth, to a safe distance and pulled the trigger. The zombies brains splattered across the lockers and it fell down with a loud 'thud'. Surprisingly she wasn't hit with the gore shower. It gave her enough time to counter the one that grabbed her. She kicked it off for space and with one swipe of the sword, cut the three suckers' heads clean off.

"Thank you, Takashi!" Saeko said with a blush.

"You're welcome!" Replied Komuro with red tint on his face that rivaled her own.

The antennae on Rei's hair straightened in anger. If those two were going to stare each other lovingly to death, then they shouldn't drag the rest of the group along with them!

"EHEM!"

Takashi and Saeko broke off their gaze and continued to smash the zombies to death. Rei watched them smugly and then readied her bayonet. A zombie tried to lunge but only got a mouthful of sharp metal.

Kohta aimed his AR-10 and laid to waist three suckers in a row thanks to the penetrating power of 7.62 millimeter rounds "Fuck yeah!"

Saya dodged an incoming swipe of a zombie and flanked to the left, moving to the back of it and shooting it point blank with her Luger. A little gore splashed over to Shizuka's back. She screeched in disgust "Saya-chan!"

"Sorry, sensei!" Saya callously apologized, too busy with shooting incoming zombies.

Alice carried along Zeke while Rei's mother guarded her. Kiriko's maternal instincts kicked as soon as two of Them lunged at the same time. Using a make shift staff with both ends sharpened, she spun around like a propeller, dragging Them along and slammed them on the lockers on both sides of the hall. With two quick moves, she impaled Them on their weak spots and carried along.

"Every one, this way to the roof top!" Takashi yelled as they approached an incoming staircase.

"All right, this the last one! Prepare to take off!" a masked soldier yelled as he escorted Tadashi Miyamoto to the safety of the helicopter.

"No! You can't! Not yet! My family is still down there!"

"I'm sorry Miyamoto-san, but orders are orders! We cannot exceed the maximum capacity of the chopper!" The soldier yelled through the chopper's extremely loud whirring.

Being the family man that he was, he couldn't take shit like that for an answer. In a fit of semi-controlled rage he grabbed the soldier by the vest "Then send in more fucking choppers!"

"I am sorry sir! I cannot disobey Shido-sama's personal order!" The soldier felt the man's anger but nevertheless stayed true to his word.

"Shido?!" Tadashi gritted his teeth as he saw the smug bastard seated by the window of the helicopter. "YOU FUCKER!" he lunged towards the frail man while three other soldiers held him back with all their strength. Shido just laughed and adjusted his eyeglasses. Tadashi Miyamoto descended into an animalistic rage.

\\\\\

"Shit, it's locked!"

They managed to reach the door to the rooftop but it didn't budge. Takashi furiously kicked it over and over again.

"Takashi, come on!" Rei yelled as she saw the undead piling up on the staircase. There were hundreds of the undead bastards, all of them coming to the one source of sound: the helicopter.

"Alice! Stay behind me!" Shizuka ordered and kept the girl hidden from the violence.

Saeko, Kohta and Kiriko held them off with their all. Takashi looked at the three and figured they wouldn't last long.

"FUCK!" he smashed the barrel of his shotgun into the lock. "GET BACK!" he pulled the trigger and lock was blasted off, not before embedding his shoulder with bits and pieces of shrapnel. He grunted hard while clutching his bleeding arm and kicked open the door.

Saeko heard his pained voice and looked back momentarily forgetting about the zombies she was killing "Hirano-kun! Miyamoto-san! I'll be right back!" she dashed toward him in blinding speed "Takashi!" The swordswoman got to him first, much to Rei's chagrin "Are you alright?!" The warrior woman suddenly filled up with concern for their leader. All the death surrounding them, yet they still managed to act like a lovey-dovey couple?

"I'm alright, Saeko..." he forced in a smile and gritted his teeth "Come on! The chopper's already there" he motioned towards the freedom bird "Cover us!"

She hesitantly nodded, but as much as she worried about him, she had faith in his decisions and went back to her position to slaughter the undead.

Tadashi saw them from a distance being followed by a huge crowd of Them and rushed towards the door of the chopper "There they are!" hope filled his voice only for it to be drained again once he was held back by the soldiers who prevented him from wasting Shido earlier "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Alright! Mr. Pilot! Would you gladly take off please?"

\\\\\

"FATHER!" Rei smiled in tearful glee as she saw Tadashi. But squinted and saw that something was wrong. Three soldiers were holding him back and another soldier slid the door the closed.

"Wait! What the hell are you doing!" Saya screamed and shot her pistol into the air.

The chopper slowly lifted up into the air as they ran at full pelt. But it didn't matter with every step they began to lose hope that they will never reach salvation.

"NO! NO! NO!" Rei cried hysterically as tears streamed down her face.

Takashi looked around, they were surrounded by Them. With his right arm busted, all the fear and adrenaline rushed through his body. With a blood curdling battle cry, he and Saeko charged them and brutally bashed in their skulls with psychotic rage.

Kiriko did the same and handed the responsibility of protecting the little girl to Shizuka and Saya.

The chopper door slid open and Shido came out sporting a sinister grin. He erupted into bouts of maniacal laughter as he looked down on the group desperately fighting the undead horde below. He gave them the finger and started to pelvic thrusts like a fucking loser.

Rei came to the conclusion that if they were not going to make it, she might as well drag Shido down to hell with them. She aimed her M1 Garand but hissed as soon as she saw that the reticle on her red dot sight wasn't functioning. "Shit! The red thing on my scope is out! I can't get a clear shot!"

By that time, Takashi, Saeko and Kiriko almost finished off the horde that was occupying the rooftop; but soon, more of them would likely fill up the place again. They regained their breaths as Saeko finished off the last one that was left standing.

"Reticle, Miyamoto-san."

Rei looked over to Hirano as he aimed his AR-10 "I got this."

He looked over to his scope and grinned wickedly "Here's something to remember me by." he pulled the trigger and BANG! a high powered round went through Shido's crotch. Unfortunately, the impact of the bullet sent him flying backwards, but a hit like that was a guaranteed kill. The blood loss and shock will take care of the rest.

One problem down, a hundred more to go.

Their leader looked around the damage dealt. Saeko was panting hard due to the physical demands of her specialty, while Kiriko still held her guard up. Rei, Saya, and Alice were crying in their respective positions. Shizuka had a distant look in her eyes while she comforted the little girl. Kohta surveyed the streets with his rifle, the look on his face screamed "not good". For a moment, death was already knocking on their door.

Group morale was down, especially when their only hope of escape was crushed like an ant under a boot heel. It was up to him, their leader, to decide whether or not they should keep fighting or die trying.

"Every one, listen to me!"

The group directed their gazes to him. "We keep moving forward."

"What?! Where do we go?!" Rei cut in "Look around you! We're surrounded! We're going to die! WE ARE GOING TO DIE!"

SLAP!

The slap knocked her back to her senses. Of all the people to slap her, it was Kiriko. "Shut the hell up and listen to your leader!" Takashi glared at Rei and resumed his plan of attack.

"We are going to make it out, alive." He cocked the hammer of his shotgun "I won't let them get to us." His words were calm and determined, just the thing that they needed. "Not as long as I'm alive. Are you with me?"

Alice mustered up all the courage she had and gave him a tearful-yet-determined salute "Yes sir!" If a girl of her age had the will to live, shouldn't they? It was like a domino effect that coursed through them. Each of his words filled them with hope that they will survive.

Takashi went over to Rei and squeezed her shoulder. "Rei, We need you on this one. You got that?" those were all the things he could offer to the distraught girl. But it was enough. She smiled and armed herself once more.

He looked over to Saeko and smiled "Are you ready?"

From that day onward, Takashi Komuro buried his awkward self and became a man.

"Yeah." she unsheathed her katana and returned the smile "You're wonderful, Takashi. I'm glad I made the right choice."

What did she mean by that? It wasn't the time to be blushing or thinking of anything else, but the words hit him hard. "Alright! Reload your weapons now!" Those who carried firearms, slapped in fresh magazines and cocked back their hammers "Conserve ammunition! One shot to the head is enough!" he looked over to the swordswoman at his side "Saeko! You and I..." he cleared his throat "will take point! Miyamoto-san! Rei! Cover our rears! Sensei, Saya and Alice! Stay close to each other! Kohta stay in the middle and provide fire support!"

They were going to make it out alive. One way or another. As the undead gathered around the building, a future of uncertainty awaited them, but they would make the best of it until they found sanctuary. Until they found refuge.

"Where are we going, leader?" Saeko inquired.

To be continued...

* * *

Okay! So that was chapter 3! I always thought of Rei as a Yandere girl ever since I saw her in episode 1. So, here you go! thanks for reading! leave a review if you like it!


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